The Gift of Sabbath - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - August 15, 2025
"Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!" Psalm 3:7-8
I've been on a summer sabbatical; the Lord was gracious enough to have the Holy Spirit stir this up in my heart before I endured a gut-wrenching loss. If I'm being honest, I'm sad this sabbath is coming to an end. I'm not quite ready to let go of the stillness it's offered and the refreshment it's given me. It's graced me with a deeper vigor as a believer. A true, intentional sabbath has changed me.
One of the most important aspects of change that has come from this summer is the continual reminder of the Lord being my refuge and my safest place. He holds all knowledge of who I am: the best of me and the worst of me. Yet, He still chooses to faithfully guide me in His grace and pull me through the valleys with His mercy. For some, it causes fear knowing that God knows them so intricately, and for others, like me, it brings a deep sense of peace.
In Psalm 3:7-8 and Psalm 4:1-5, we see the heart of God be called upon over and over as the One who can deliver. The One who will make all things right, and the One who sustains us as we journey out our walking with Him. He does this by knowing us, and when we see Him faithfully being our refuge and guide, it causes us to seek Him more, and the gift of the sabbath opens that well to learn all the more.
It is written, "Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!" Psalm 3:7-8
"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.” Psalm 4:1-5
Those who seek the heart of God, desire His will, and love Him fully will be shadowed by His wings. We will be given relief from great stress. He will be gracious to hear our prayers and pleas for mercy. We can trust that great is His faithfulness. We will see His love and leadership poured out over our lives and the lives of those around us again and again.
An invitation to rest, recharge, and recalibrate with our Creator can sometimes come in the form of difficult circumstances, but it will always produce a fruit we'd miss without His timeline. Lean into His call of sabbatical, search the well of His heart, and let your life be radically changed by His mercy.
Let’s pray:
Father, I pray you are evident in my life to those around me. I desire to live submitted to you and your ways. Thank you for the gift of sabbath, and help me lean into your plans for me. Guide me in your grace, pull me through the pits in your mercy, and mark me by the gift of your salvation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/kate_sept2004
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
